"If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India." - Romain Rolland

India is the largest democracy in the world, the seventh largest country and the second most populous. India is a picture of diversity seen in her people, culture, colorful festivals, dress and costumes, religions, flora and fauna and varying landscapes. India's history dates back to the Indus Valley civilization of about 2500-1700 BC. She is, as Mark Twain intones " the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, grandmother of legend, and great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India." She gave the world the knowledge of counting that transformed the scientific faculty of man. She was and arguably is the spiritual seat of the world.

India is located in south Asia and is often called a subcontinent. The Himalayan ranges crown the northern boundary of India. India is bounded on the north by Afghanistan, China, Nepal, and Bhutan; on the east by Bangladesh, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and the Bay of Bengal; on the south by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar (which separates it from Sri Lanka) and the Indian Ocean; and on the west by the Arabian Sea and Pakistan. India is divided into 28 states (three of which are recently formed) and 7 Union Territories. New Delhi is the capital of India and one of its largest cities.